GOOD reasons for wanting to attend a school

[KatieJune]

What are considered GOOD reasons to want to attend a school (for answering that question). I don't think wanting to be in a certain state qualifies? DO you point out specific programs the school has? any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks

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[Random Access]

Originally posted by KatieJune
What are considered GOOD reasons to want to attend a school (for answering that question). I don't think wanting to be in a certain state qualifies? DO you point out specific programs the school has? any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks

Whoa...why wouldn't location be a good reason? Specific programs would be good too I suppose. Also if it's in a lesser privileged area, and that's what you like (hence location = important). Things like that. Look at anything about the school that could be somewhat different from other schools. Do the research...

-RA

 

[cabruen]

Remember, you are choosing a place you are going to be spending four very intense years. You need to ask yourself, what are important issues that you want in a medical. Location may very well be high on the list.

The question is NOT, what are the good reasons to say that I want to attend the school so the ADCOM will accept me.

 

[souljah1]

Location was actually around the top of my list when I decided what schools to apply to. Location can affect the patient population, your own peice of mind and happiness, the collective energy of your classmates, etc..For me, those are far more important than how my school fared on U.S. News.

Tuition/fees was also near the top of my list. I knew that regardless of where I went, I would work hard and succeed. After trusting that belief, it made sense to attend a school (if possible) that would not have me a quarter million dollars in debt by the time I graduated. To me, that financial burden would have an impact on the quality of my life and would most likely provide a consistent avenue for stress.

The structure of the curriculum also was a priority. I did not want to sit in lecture all day long being spoken to. I wanted a curriculum that engaged me. Programs like Einstein, UCSF, etc that use integrated blocks with sections of PBL and small groups were definitely programs that I felt strongly about. I guess you really never know what you'll like until you are doing it, but now that I am a medical student, I am really glad that I only have 4 hours of class every day (only two of those hours are lecture).

Prestige does have some benefits, but if you are kicking ass..then prestige really won't be of all that help. The one major plus about prestige is that you will get exposed to some incredibly impressive faculty. Some people have prestige highly on their list, and that is fine with me..but when I applied I wasn't planning on going into academic medicine or an incredibly competitive field.

Everyone is different, and reasons for choosing schools are not the same for everyone. You really have to evaluate what is important to you, what will make your experience the most beneficial, etc..

I think answering that question how you truly feel will give you the best chance at going to the school that you truly want to. ADCOMS want to hear YOUR answer, not some constructed cookie-cutter version of what is supposed to be said. They already know all the good things about their program, their faculty, etc..what they want to hear about is why you think you'd be happy there, and why you think that attending their institution will help you reach your long-term goals and aspirations.

I wish you the best.

 

[USeF]

echoing my man on the west coast, souljah.
if you are accepted, you really will do well and succeed wherever you go. It's the stuff outside the classroom you want to look at. How many doors are open for you in terms of 2nd degrees (MPH, PhD, MBA etc.), how many students do research during their time there [if that's your thing], and many more. Most important for me, though, was how are the students??

If you see lots of them coming by for lunch with the interviewees or stopping to tell you it's a great school with beaming smiles --> , and people are truly cooperative vs. competitive, take note!
If the only ones that say anything positive are your tour guide and students are only lukewarm about the school, be ware.
These are the type of people you are potentially going to be around and you want to be comfortable there. This will be your support structure, these are the kids you're going to share the first incision on a cadaver with, these are the girls whose hair you're going to hold while they puke

ok, off to meet some interviewees for the day

 

[USeF]

some good advice I'm BUMPin' up